Ode/Requiem
By: Trey McElveen

Peaceably, we in stunned silence sit and weep inwardly
For the loss of our pride member
As the stars themselves streak from their perches aloft
And for a petty moment we fleet thoughts of what salvation there was.

Skirt 'round the edges and reach for what you do not know
Reach farther and spread your fingers
Grasp for safety but know that maybe it resides
Just where you are.

May you see who you were looking for.
May you find where you were going.
But as for us we sit.

Wondering why the impossible must face us.
And hope of little paper women
Dancing circles in Vesuvian ashes,
Picking up the shards of broken dreams.